Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

Category·Character, virtue and appearance·303 surnames

Virtue and integrity

Surnames
303
in this dictionary
In the national top 30
0
ADNKS 2025

How did these surnames come about?

Erdem is not Er- plus -dem. It may look as if it begins with er, “man”, but TDK lists it as a word in its own right meaning “virtue, good conduct praised by morality”. Old Turkic already used it for “virtue, skill, excellence”. Erdem is both the best-known surname in this hub and the one most often mis-analysed.

Turkic words

Doğru carries both “true, correct” and “honest”. Temiz means “clean” and, figuratively, “decent, honest”; the word is generally traced to an Arabic source. İyi, “good”, is another plain word that can sit here. These words are used as surnames without any suffix.

Persian words

Mert comes from Persian mard, “man, person”; in Turkish it took on the sense “a man of his word, brave and upright”. Cömert, “generous, open-handed”, is Persian in origin too. Dürüst goes back to Persian durust and means “straight, honest”. So Turkic Doğru and Persian Dürüst share the same meaning in this hub.

Arabic words

Sadık comes from Arabic ṣādiq and means “loyal, faithful, true to one's word”. Asil means “noble, well-rooted”. Kibar comes from an Arabic plural meaning “the great ones”; in Turkish it came to mean “refined, polite”. Adil, “just”, also belongs here.

Onur: disputed origin

The origin of onur, “honour”, is disputed. The TDK dictionary links it to French honneur. Other views argue for a Turkic root. This page notes both. Onurlu, “honourable”, is onur plus -lu.

Shape

Most surnames here are plain words. Derived forms use -lI: Onurlu. Vowel harmony picks the variant; the u of onur selects -lu. Dictionary words such as Erdem are not split but taken with their own meaning.

The 1934 setting

Article 3 of the Surname Law banned surnames that offended public decency or were disgusting or ridiculous. This hub stands for the opposite of that ban: words for virtue, honesty and goodness. There is, however, no general record of why families chose them.

A caution

These surnames give the meaning of a word, not the character of those who carry it. Nothing can be concluded about a person named Sadık from the name. The meaning of the word and the personality of the bearer are separate matters.

Sources1,2,3

All surnames in this category

#SurnameMeaningOriginLetters
01 Açık open, clear; frank Turkic 4
02 Açıkalın open-browed, honest Turkic 8
03 Açıkel open hand, generous Turkic 6
04 Açıksöz frank, outspoken Turkic 7
05 Adam human being; a decent man Arabic 4
06 Adanır devoted, self-giving Turkic 6
07 Adar one who dedicates; March Turkic 4
08 Adil just, fair Arabic 4
09 Ağırbaş dignified, sedate Turkic 7
10 Ağırman grave, dignified Turkic 7
11 Ahsen most beautiful, finest Arabic 5
12 Ak white; pure Turkic 2
13 Akalın honourable, “white-browed” Turkic 6
14 Akdik pure and upright Turkic 5
15 Akdur stay pure Turkic 5
16 Akgönül pure-hearted Turkic 7
17 Akman pure, unspoilt Turkic 5
18 Akmansoy pure lineage Turkic 8
19 Aköz pure at heart Turkic 4
20 Akpek pure and steadfast Turkic 5
21 Aksöz honest word Turkic 5
22 Akyavaş pure and gentle Turkic 7
23 Akyol white road; clear, honest path Turkic 5
24 Akyürek pure-hearted Turkic 7
25 Akyüz honourable, “white-faced” Turkic 5
26 Ala excellent, superior Arabic 3
27 Aldatmaz one who never deceives Turkic 8
28 Alnıaçık open-browed, honest Turkic 8
29 Alnıtemiz clean-browed, blameless Arabic 9
30 Amin trustworthy (given name) Arabic 4
31 Anday oath, vow Mongolic 5
32 Anlaş get along, agree Turkic 5
33 Ar sense of honour and shame Arabic 2
34 Arca pure, clean Turkic 4
35 Arcasoy pure lineage Turkic 7
36 Arcayürek pure-hearted Turkic 9
37 Arı bee; pure, clean Turkic 3
38 Arığ clean, pure Turkic 4
39 Arık pure, clean; or lean Turkic 4
40 Arıkan of pure blood Turkic 6
41 Arın pure, purified Turkic 4
42 Arınç peace 5
43 Arısan pure renown Turkic 6
44 Arseven one who loves honour Turkic 7
45 Artam virtue Turkic 5
46 Artan increasing; virtue Turkic 5
47 Asil noble, well-born Arabic 4
48 Aslıyüksek of high lineage Turkic 10
49 Atasayan one who honours his forefathers Turkic 8
50 Atasayar who honours the ancestors Turkic 8
51 Atik nimble; noble, ancient 4
52 Ayerdem moon-bright virtue Turkic 7
53 Aytemiz pure as the moon Arabic 7
54 Aziz dear, precious; saint Arabic 4
55 Bağış gift, donation Turkic 5
56 Bağışlayıcı forgiving, generous Turkic 11
57 Bağlı bound, loyal Turkic 5
58 Barışık at peace, reconciled Turkic 7
59 Birand one oath, a pledged word Turkic 6
60 Birant one oath Turkic 6
61 Caymaz one who keeps his word Turkic 6
62 Cömert generous, open-handed Persian 6
63 Çalış work!, strive Turkic 5
64 Çalışgan hard-working Turkic 8
65 Çalışır hard-working Turkic 7
66 Çalışkan hard-working, diligent Turkic 8
67 Çalışkaner hard-working man Turkic 10
68 Çalışkanoğlu son of the hard-working one Turkic 12
69 Çelebi gentleman; Ottoman title Turkic 6
70 Çıdamlı patient, enduring Turkic 7
71 Darılmaz never offended, forgiving Turkic 8
72 Daver lord, sovereign Persian 5
73 Değer worth, value Turkic 5
74 Değerli valuable Turkic 7
75 Denizolgun mature as the sea Turkic 10
76 Denk equal, matching Turkic 4
The list grows as surnames are added to the dictionary.

Common questions

Is Erdem made of Er- + dem?

No. Erdem is a TDK word in its own right meaning “virtue” and is not split.

Where does the word onur come from?

It is disputed. TDK links it to French honneur; others argue for a Turkic root.

Do Doğru and Dürüst mean the same?

They are close: both mean “honest, straight”. Doğru is Turkic, Dürüst comes from Persian durust.

Sources

  1. 1Türk Dil Kurumu, TDK Güncel Türkçe Sözlük
  2. 2Sevan Nişanyan, Nişanyan Sözlük
  3. 3T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr), Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525)